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Meet the New Cuyamaca Outdoor School Nurse

Sue Whitaker jumped at the opportunity to become the new nurse at Cuyamaca Outdoor School because she loves interacting with children.

Plus, working in the middle of Rancho Cuyamaca State Park didn't hurt any.

She started in September and said she already feels at home.

"Everyone has been really welcoming, and it's a really nice atmosphere," she said.

She said she's happy to be in the health center, which serves as a sort of hub for the campus in the mountains east of San Diego.

There is no typical day in her new job, she said, but her regular duties include logging and dispensing all student medication, helping homesick students, and helping with splinters, scrapes and bruises.

"Kids come up here with a really large variety of conditions and concerns," she said. "I learn something new every day."

There's somebody in the medical office at the school 24 hours a day. The team also includes a health technician and an aide. The team helps the adults at the school with medical issues as well.

"We try to take care of everybody while we're out here," Whitaker said.

Whitaker replaced the school's previous nurse, who retired recently. She brings years of experience in nursing and biology to her new job.

She worked in research and development for a chemical company before returning to school to become a registered nurse.

"I decided that wasn't the job I wanted to retire from," she said about the research and development job.

She worked at Sharp Grossmont Hospital for eight years in its progressive care unit before leaving there to take a couple of years off.

Now that she's returning to work, she said she's particularly excited to be working at Cuyamaca Outdoor School since her two kids and husband all went there as children.